Piddle Pads Study: Ours Performed Way Above the Rest

Drs. Foster & Smith Educational Staff

We always knew our Piddle Pads® were the best on the market. We constantly evaluate and improve their performance. Comparison tests performed by our Piddle Pads® manufacturer put our pads side by side with the 15 best-selling pads currently on the market from big-box stores.

FIVE TESTS WERE CARRIED OUT:

Amount of liquid pad absorbs (Absorption Capacity) - Each pad soaked in 1000 grams of 0.9% Saline for 30 minutes. After this time, each pad hung on a rack for 10 minutes. Then each was weighed and absorption capacity calculated.

Average weight of pad and core (10 measurements) - Basis Weight was calculated based on the entire area of the pad, not just the absorbent core. While this method does not give an exact measurement of the absorbent core basis weight, it does allow for a comparison between pads.

How long pad takes to absorb - Two hundred grams of 0.9% Saline were added at once to each pad. Acquisition time was measured as the time at which all free liquid was absorbed into the pad. The pads were allowed to sit for 2 minutes and then leakage was checked.

Pad leakage under pressure - One hundred fifty grams of 0.9% Saline were added at once to each pad. The pads were allowed to sit for 5 minutes, and then a pre-weighed amount of dry filter paper and a 5 kg weight were added to the insult. After 5 minutes, the filter paper was weighed to determine WOAP (wet-out against pressure) and leakage was checked.

How well the polymer stayed in place once wet - A 0.2% Copper Sulfate Solution was sprayed on one pad of each sample type to stain the SAP particles contained in the pad.

THE TESTS CLEARLY SHOW HOW PIDDLE PADS® OUTPERFORMED THE OTHERS.By far the most impressive measurements were those in the Absorption Capacity test. In this test, each pad was soaked with 35 oz (think a quart of milk) of saline solution. The pads were allowed to sit for 30 minutes. Our pads soaked up nearly 65% of the solution - that's over 22 oz of liquid absorbed! Our nearest competitor weighed in at absorbing a mere 41% of the solution - just over 14 oz - a little more than a can of soda. The next nearest competitor also only absorbed 14 oz, while #15 absorbed a little over 6 oz. That's only 3/4 of a cup of liquid - most dogs easily exceed that when they urinate.